Fishing Vessel"Aquirla "

HC Deb 12 March 1979 vol 964 cc97-8W

Mr. Henderson

asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the incident in which the fishing vessel"Aquirla"was involved with a United States submarine; and what compensation will be offered.

Mr. Hugh D. Brown

At 10.30 a.m. on Wednesday, 7 March the gear of the fishing vessel"Aquirla"was fouled by a submarine while fishing in the Sound of Jura. The vessel was towed astern for about 10 minutes before the gear was freed by the cutting of one of the warps. A full report of the incident was made by the skipper to my Department's local fishery office. Later inquiries revealed that the submarine belonged to the United States Navy.

A claim based on the damage to gear and loss of fishing time will be submitted in the normal way to the Office of the Flag Officer, Scotland and Northern Ireland.